The prosecutor at the trial in Italy into the death of the Brazilian motor racing driver, Ayrton Senna, has asked for the dropping of manslaughter charges against Frank Williams, the owner of Senna's team.

However, in his summing up at the trial in Imola, the state prosecutor Maurizio Passarini told the court that the technical director Patrck Head and the former designer of the Williams team Adrian Newey should be found guilty.

Ayrton Senna, a three-time world champion, died when his car crashed into a concrete wall during the San Marino Formula One Grand Prix at Imola in 1994.

The prosecution said Senna lost control of his car because its steering column snapped after beingmodified, but that Mr Williams had no power to change the decision to redesign the column.